Samsung - 'bait and switch' in free gift promotion

powerful_Rogue

First of all I would wait to see what AO and Samsung say about the matter. Think you was a bit fast rushing to trading standards before you had heard back.

If they wanted to stop giving out the 8' and change it to the 7' - There the terms and conditions allow this.

Your issue is that the terms and conditions in force at the time stated you would get a free 8' tablet - So wait and see what they come back with first before worrying.

Philip_S

I contacted Trading Standards as Samsung changed the T&C, and I worry they may deny they have changed them. I want TS involved so they can see any more changes as Samsung cleans up.

The worry is because I noticed they uploaded the new file with the same name: DA_Promotion_-_Ts_and_Cs_Final_23sept.pdf

The original I downloaded says it was created on 23rd Sept, but the new one says it was created on the 22nd Oct.

It seems dishonest to me - sight of hand.

Philip

nearlyrich

They won't have two products with the same part number it looks like a web designer error to me.

Philip_S

nearlyrich wrote: »

They won't have two products with the same part number it looks like a web designer error to me.

That's what I thought when I contacted them about it. I expected them to change the website page to 8" not change the T&C!

Mind you I just saw this on a tech news site;

theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2302871/samsung-is-fined-usd340-000-for-faking-abusive-htc-comments

I wonder what's going on with Samsung?

Philip

earthstorm

Philip_S wrote: »

That's what I thought when I contacted them about it. I expected them to change the website page to 8" not change the T&C!

The promotion would be going off the part number of the gift and not 8" so if the part number is for the 7" then this is what they will go off and just change the error that most likely you drew their attention too. but then the part number SM-T3100ZWABTU is for the

Samsung GALAXY TAB 3 8.0" WHITE 16GB WIFI - SM-T3100ZWABTU

wealdroam

Philip, you tell us you made the purchase on 19 October 2013.
Is that right?

Unfortunately, on 17 October 2013 that Samsung webpage, http://www.samsung.com/uk/homeappliancegift/, was showing the gift as:

Gifts
Spend £1000 or over
Samsung 7" Galaxy Tab 3 (Wi-Fi)
SM-T2100MKABTU

Here is a google cache version of that webpage from 20:52:57 GMT on 17 October 2013:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.samsung.com%2Fuk%2Fhomeappliancegift%2F

This means that at the time of your purchase the appropriate gift would be the 7" Galaxy Tab 3.

Bing's webcrawler confirms similar text on 18 October 2013:

http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=url%3ahttp%3a%2f%2fwww.samsung.com%2fuk%2fhomeappliancegift%2f&d=4633334628944621&mkt=en-GB&setlang=en-GB&w=e1OElDSrOf86_2p7qP-FmOXOzWanjoNc

Sorry to have to say that.

Philip_S

earthstorm wrote: »

but then the part number SM-T3100ZWABTU is for the

Samsung GALAXY TAB 3 8.0" WHITE 16GB WIFI - SM-T3100ZWABTU

Yes it is. They did not change that. I suspect as soon as they realise, they will modify the PDF again.

wealdroam wrote: »

Philip, you tell us you made the purchase on 19 October 2013.
Is that right?

Yep. Unfortunately there is no Google cache of the T&C PDF which stated the 8" model at the time of purchase, and the PDF claim form AO linked to also said 8". And no wayback machine archive either.

The current T&C still have the original model number (for the 8" version) even though it now says 7".

Philip

earthstorm

Philip_S wrote: »

.


Yep. Unfortunately there is no Google cache of the T&C PDF which stated the 8" model at the time of purchase, and the PDF claim form AO linked to also said 8". And no wayback machine archive either.

but theis is a Google cache version of that webpage from 20:52:57 GMT on 17 October 2013 which shows

Gifts
Spend £1000 or over
Samsung 7" Galaxy Tab 3 (Wi-Fi)
SM-T2100MKABTU

i dont think Samsung are going to say this on 17th and then change it to an 8" model on the 19th and then just change it back to 7" model

Philip_S

earthstorm wrote: »

i dont think Samsung are going to say this on 17th and then change it to an 8" model on the 19th and then just change it back to 7" model

Neither do I!

I went by the PDF claim form linked to on AO (which means nothing, I'm explaining what I did), followed the link in that original claim PDF to the Samsung gifts page and then went straight to the T&C to double check. I didn't cotton on to the fact the webpage was, as it now turns out, stating 7", because the T&C (the legal stuff) said 8". I wasn't looking for an error.

It's only after I had bought the goods that I noticed the 7" on that page, and after I noticed it: I triple checked the T&C it still said 8" - hence me contacting Samsung and AO.

After I contacted them Samsung changed the T&C to match that webpage (they still forgot to change the part number, and the Irish site that is running the same promotion though the UK site), and AO swapped the PDF they linked to as well. I'm still waiting to hear back from both.

What bothers me is they changed the legal document, the T&C, to match the webpage and not the other way around.

Samsung may still honour the original T&C, but I have a bad feeling about it...

Philip

powerful_Rogue

Philip_S wrote: »

What bothers me is they changed the legal document, the T&C, to match the webpage and not the other way around.

Thus:
22. The Promoter reserves the right, acting reasonably, to vary the Terms and Conditions of this Promotion.

Just to clarify though, when you made your purchase, they were advertising on the website the 7' Galaxy Tab. Before you even looked at the T&C's you was expecting and happy with the 7' Galaxy Tab offer?